Who's
In It: Benoît Poelvoorde, Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert, Nelly Pappaert,
Hector Pappaert Who Directed It: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel
Year
of release: 1998
Man Bites Dog (1992) Movie Review - Reviewed by: David
Knight
In
reality there are few things that come out of Belgium that are worth bothering
about, one is the now defunct band dEUS who’s music has proved the soundtrack
to my life recently, and then there is a little film called Man Bites Dog.
This
is a very low budget film, but the lack of finances can’t disguise what is
an excellently acted and made film. The story is a kick back at the fly on the
wall documentaries that pollute our TV stations. This film takes it a step further
as it’s a fly on the wall “pseudo-documentary” about a serial killer
and his daily joy of knocking people off for no reason.
The
film was made on a minuscule budget of $15,000 by a trio of ex film schoolers
in Belgium. Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel and Benoit Poelvoorde all directed, wrote,
produced and stared in this black and white masterpiece. Poelvoorde stars as the
killer Ben, whose penchant for poetry and classical music is in contrast to his
senseless slayings.
The
film is very dark and contains scenes of murder and rape that are very graphic.
Through all of this there is a dark comedy and great character build up, that
makes you form affection with the killer even though you see what brutality he
is capable of.
Man
Bites Dog looks into how close we get to people on TV and whether through this
exposure we grow some sort of affinity with them, even if they are cold blooded
murderers. Reality TV shows make stars out of even the most horrible people, and
this is shown through the film. We grow to like Ben and almost feel sad at the
end when he is killed.
It
also highlights the sordid nature of what these shows have become. In one scene
Ben has a shoot-out with another killer; Ben wins and stands victorious over the
dead killer’s body. At that moment another TV crew turn up- - it seems they
where following the dead serial killer themselves. This moment was used to illustrate
the copycat nature of the television industry.
As
the film progresses we and the film crew recording Ben are drawn deeper into his
murderous world. Starting as spectators we then almost become accomplices. The
film crew help Ben out when he needs it, spotting his victims for him and the
such, it raises questions of guilt and responsibility that most films dare not
examine. Can we justify watching this (and Ben’s actions) and feel an affinity
with him, or are we repulsed at his actions and relieved at the end with his death?
Ben
is set up as a charismatic character, with his family and friends important to
him, but his victims not. His musings about pigeons and poetry are gripping, if
not slightly unnerving when you contrast them to the murderous deeds he then commits.
The
plot is as basic as it can be, with character build up and dialogue at the forefront
rather than a complicated story. Ben kills, muses on his killings then muses some
more. There is a sort of sub plot when Ben kills another serial killer and annoys
some gangsters, these gangsters in the end are the ones who kill Ben and the film
crew and bring the film to its bloody conclusion.
Perhaps
the only problem with Man Bites Dog is its length. After a while you do become
desensitized to the violence, and Ben's incessant ramblings do become slightly
tedious after a while. In spite of all this I would recommend people seek this
film out, it’s good, hard entertainment with a message.
